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Abdulrahman al-Khayyal was hoping to get some hugs and spread good cheer, but instead he got thrown in a Saudi Arabian jail.

Al-Khayyal was arrested in the capital city of Riyadh when he tried to take part in the viral worldwide phenomenon of folks giving out free hugs to passersby.

Inspired by a popular YouTube video of another Saudi man, Bandr al-Swed, doling out snuggles in the capital a few days earlier, al-Khayyal announced his intentions on Twitter then took to the streets with a friend and a sign that read: "Free Hugs."

The pair were soon arrested and their banners seized, the Independent reports.

The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice said the men were engaging in "exotic practices" and made them sign a pledge never to do it again.